How will Barcelona line up against Elche?

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The Catalans are back in La Liga action

Barcelona’s hectic schedule continues as they return to La Liga action with yet another away match, this time at struggling Elche on Sunday.

Ronald Koeman will be without Lionel Messi once more due to suspension but will be able to bring some players back into the team after giving them a breather on Thursday.

Let’s see how they might line-up.

Defense

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Marc-Andre ter Stegen will return in goal after dropping out of the team against Cornella and allowing back-up Neto a rare start.

Sergino Dest is still a doubt at right-back which means Oscar Mingueza should continue, while Ronald Araujo should also get the nod at center-back.

Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti are both available to partner Araujo, while Jordi will come back into the team at the expense of Junior Firpo.

Midfield

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Frenkie de Jong is another player who should return to the starting XI after being given the night off in midweek.

Sergio Busquets and Pedri both started on the bench against Cornella but were needed to help Barca overcome the third-tier minnows.

Both players are likely to return which means Miralem Pjanic, Riqui Puig, and Ilaix Moriba will all drop out.

Attack

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Koeman doesn’t have too many options in attack with Messi banned and Ansu Fati and Philippe Coutinho still on the injured list.

Ousmane Dembele came on at half-time against Cornella and eventually made the breakthrough with a goal in extra-time and looks set to start here.

Martin Braithwaite was also on target late on in the Copa del Rey and looks set to keep his place with Antoine Griezmann completing the line-up.

Possible XI: Ter Stegen; Mingueza, Araujo, Lenglet, Alba; Busquets, De Jong, Pedri; Dembele, Griezmann, Braithwaite.

How do you think Barcelona should line up against Elche? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!

Source: barcablaugranes.com